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Tuesday, 27 May 2008 Copyright police threaten iPod, Mac

New laws under discussion by the G8 could threaten iPod users

Jonny Evans

Draconian new copyright protection laws would give border guards the right to seize iPods and mobile phones on suspicion they contained illegal downloads.

That’s the very real threat of new legislation currently being worked out by the G8 nations, of which the UK is a part, according to Canadian reports.

These reports claim the Canadian government is secretly negotiating to join the US and the EU in an Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA). Alongside the introduction of an international copyright law enforcement body, the deal would also see ordinary police given the right to search your digital devices for stolen files, and would also allow them to confiscate such devices. Front line security staff will be empowered to decide what content infringes on copyright laws.

Consumer privacy is also threatened by the act, which would force ISPs to hand over customer information on suspected file-sharers without a warrant.

David Fewer, staff counsel at the University of Ottawa's Canadian Internet Policy and Public Interest Clinic, characterizes ACTA this way: 'If Hollywood could order intellectual property laws for Christmas what would they look like? This is pretty close.'"

The deal’s up for discussion at the next G8 meeting in Toyako, near Lake Toya in July.

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